Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-04-29
echoes From The War.
Y JAMES FRANKLIN FITS.
How the General Managed 1t.

outside Of my war experience, and ior
chat reason I should be very careful
in satisfying myself that it is authen.
tic. ..r.,s ,'. 'tt
1t was related to me by one of the
actors in it, whose word is sufficient
tor all who know him. He was ct the
timea captain in one OF the New York
cavalry regiments, and an Assistant
Adjutant General to the military
conmandant at Washington. Hedoes
hot court publicity Of this kind, but
will not object to the mention OF his
name It is Colonel T. E. Ellsworth,
OF Lockport, New York.
Such an incident as it was probably
never occurred again in the war-or
before it. When it was first repeated
to me it struck me as being the oldest
and at the same time about the hap
piest thing connected with the war
that I had ever heard. When it has
been read the reader will no doubt
think that it is worthy of place in this
series.
Before beginning the story, I feel
that the enjoyment of it's perusal will
be greatly enhanced by some Informal
ton which may not be needful to all
it's readers, as to who the chief actor
was.
James Wadsworth, brigadier general
of volunteers, was one of natures true
noblemen. When the war broke out
be was already agray-haired man. He
was very wealthy, living on the broad
acres in the beautiful Genesee valley,
of the state OF New York which had de-
scended to him from his fathers. He
took up arms instantly for his country.
For time he was military command
ant of Washineton; then, in command
of a division OF the First Army Corps,
he took the place of the gallant Rey-
holds when he fell on the first day at
Gettysburg. Less than year later
he fell at the head of his division in
the Wilderness mortally wounded. He
was brave as a lion, gentle as wom-
an. There were not many like him in
high command. The man who could
conceive and execute the plan
which our sketch describes, to save
the honor of q humble family, and
that at a time when great public events
were crowding upon everybody in au-
thority-such a man must have had
the woman's and the warriors heart
wonderfully blended.
All homo: to his memory.
The story will lose by the telling un-
less it is put in the language of him
who narrated it to me.
So let him speak in the first person.
It was late in the spring OF 1862;
believe it was in the month that came
between the battle of Far Oaks and
the beginning of the Seven Days Bat.
ties on the Peninsula. Everybody's
attention was turned that way. and
the whole nation was full of anxiety
to hear what was happening, and
what was about to happen there.
Nearer by, down on the Rappahan-
mock, General McDow we'll had an army
corps IA division, which was expect
ed to look after the safety OF Washing
ton.
The military commandment of
Washington and it's defenses was Gen
eral Wadsworth. ~.
The principal business OF such an
officer was supposed to be to see that
the city was well governed and pro,
tected, and that military offenders
were properly taken care OF.
In fact, the principal business that
We had to do at headquarters in those
n fN fr osfS
who wanted to 60 to the front.
We simply acted under peremptory
orders from the Secretary OF War. He
said, ''No passes, and we had to
deny them. one and all. Sssss 4. !.
But it seemed to me as though
Washington was filed with people
who wanted to 20 to the
front. They thronged the office
where ] sat for several hours each day
as Assistant Adjutant General, the Off
clal mouthpiece Of the military COM
mandant. They made up more than
one-halfof the crowd that came there,
day atterday. They camein all shapes
and ways. Some were bold and clam
orous; some were coaxing; some tear
fnl and pleading some disposed to be
insulting. No matter; one and all
had the same answer. There could be
no pass; no civilians could 50 to the
front. IS RI 81
II was easy enough to say no, and
in q peremptory way. is the, suffers,
the adventures, the idle sight-seers,
the gamblers, and even the brazen
women who thought they had soma
Ihuainnoa with NTnrIo11o,,,s nr5 Il Mo.